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WASHINGTON, Oct 11- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in more than four and a half years, according to government data that may provide a boost to President Barack Obama a month before voters go to the polls.

WASHINGTON, Oct 11- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in more than four and a half years, according to government data that may provide a boost to President Barack Obama a month before voters go to the polls.

WASHINGTON, Oct 11- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in more than four and a half years, according to government data that may provide a boost to President Barack Obama a month before voters go to the polls.

WASHINGTON, Oct 11- The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits slid last week to the lowest level in more than four and a half years, according to government data that may provide a boost to President Barack Obama a month before voters go to the polls.

*Venturing into the most hostile territory in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany visited Athens on Tuesday, telling Greeks that she understood their suffering but urging the country to stay the course on reforms and budget cuts.

Oct 9- Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric who sparked an outcry with a tweet last week suggesting the White House manipulated job numbers for political gain, is no longer writing for Reuters or Fortune. "Unbelievable jobs numbers... these Chicago guys will do anything... can't debate so change numbers," Welch tweeted.

Oct 9- Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric who sparked an outcry with a tweet last week suggesting the White House manipulated job numbers for political gain, is no longer writing for Reuters or Fortune. "Unbelievable jobs numbersï¿ ½th ese Chicago guys will do anythingï¿ ½ can't debate so change numbers," Welch tweeted.

The staffers who compute the U.S. unemployment rate work in an agency of the Labor Department. Officials who have overseen the work say it's prepared under tight security with no White House input or supervision. The only BLS employee appointed by the White House is the commissioner, who operates independently of the White House.

*White House slams Welch tweet as "ludicrous". BOSTON/ WASHINGTON, Oct 5- BOSTON/ WASHINGTON, Oct 5- Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric Co, provoked cries of outrage in Washington on Friday when he suggested that the White House manipulated September job figures for political gains.

WASHINGTON-- Sasquatch might as well have traipsed across the White House lawn Friday with a lost Warren Commission file on his way to the studio where NASA staged the moon landing. Officials at the Labor Department said the jobs figures are calculated by highly trained government employees without any political interference.

WASHINGTON-- The U.S. unemployment rate dropped below 8 percent for the first time since the month President Barack Obama took office, a surprising lift for both the economy and his re-election hopes in the final weeks of the campaign. It fell because a government survey of households found that 873,000 more people had jobs, the biggest jump since January 2003.

*White House slams Welch tweet as "ludicrous". BOSTON/ WASHINGTON, Oct 5- Jack Welch, the lionized former chairman of General Electric Co, provoked cries of outrage in Washington on Friday when he appeared to accuse the White House of manipulating September job figures for political gains.

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct 5- President Barack Obama on Friday hailed a drop in the U.S. jobless rate to the lowest level since he took office, saying the country has "come too far to turn back now," as he sought to recover from a lackluster debate performance against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, in response to questions from a television anchor casting doubt on the validity of the latest jobless rate figures, said the idea it was manipulated is "ludicrous." "I'm insulted when I hear that, because we have a very professional civil service organization.